“Happy to join Oostende on loan and excited for this new challenge,” Osaze Urhoghide has tweeted confirming his loan move from Celtic. And Celtic have confirmed the latest exit from the club, as Osaze Urhoghide has joined Belgian side KV Oostende on loan for the rest of the season.
Urhoghide is highly rated at Celtic and there had been interest in a permanent transfer for the player. However, Ange Postecoglou sees great potential in the player who performed brilliantly against Betis in the Europa League and only a loan deal was being considered.
The player was wanted by Dundee manager James McPake and by former Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson now managing League 1 side Morecambe, and there was further interest in the player rumoured to have been from Italian club Verona.
Instead, it KV Oostende will be the destination for the remainder of the season for Osaze Urhoghide, and after the experience Jack Hendry had at the Belgian club and the improvements he made, this move makes a lot of sense for both Urhoghide and Celtic.
The Belgian club are currently near the foot of The Belgian Pro league and in need of defensive reinforcements, meanwhile the standard of competition in Belgium is at a good level and one where regular gametime can only improve a defender, described prior to signing for Celtic by a Sheffield based journalist as, having a lot to work on but a lot to work with.
It seems Ange Postecoglou agrees, given he was initially unwilling to consider any permanent deals for Osaze Urhoghide, and the plan has now changed with Oostende according to Anthony Joesph at Sky Sports having succeeded in inserting a option to buy clause in the deal. Urhoghide will now get first team exposure at a good standard of competition and will either return to Celtic ready to fight for a first team place next season or complete a move to the Belgium club in the summer.
